Otero County, Colorado property tax
The median homeowner in Otero County, Colorado pays $518 a year in property tax on a home worth $160,700, an effective rate of 0.32%. The national effective rate is 0.98%.
What the rate means here
At 0.32%, Otero County taxes property more lightly than the national 0.98%. With a median home at $160,700, that produces a bill of $518. Somebody still funds the schools, so it is worth knowing what a low-tax county collects instead.
It ranks #41 of 52 Colorado counties by effective rate, against a statewide 0.49%, and #2,759 nationally. The state runs from 0.62% in Broomfield County down to 0.23% in Gilpin County.
The median home costs 2.93 times the median household income of $54,897, against 3.86 nationally, which is a comfortable ratio by American standards. 68.87% of occupied homes are owned rather than rented, and cheap housing relative to income is usually why. This is a small rural county of 18,460 people. Five-year survey estimates for places this size carry wide margins of error, so treat the figures as approximate.
The rate is derived rather than quoted. How and why.
What that costs at different home values
Arithmetic at the county effective rate, before any exemption or assessment cap.
Housing and income
| Otero County | Colorado | United States | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Effective property tax | 0.32% | 0.49% | 0.98% |
| Median tax bill | $518 | $2,448 | $2,969 |
| Median home value | $160,700 | $502,200 | $303,400 |
| Median gross rent | $796 | $1,693 | $1,348 |
| Median household income | $54,897 | $92,470 | $78,538 |
| Home price to income | 2.93× | 5.43× | 3.86× |
| Rent as share of income | 17.4% | 21.97% | 20.6% |
| Owner-occupied | 68.87% | 66.32% | 65.02% |
Source: U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 2023 five-year estimates. Population 18,460.
Nearby counties of similar size
| County | Rate | Median bill | Home value |
|---|---|---|---|
| Park County | 0.34% | $1,679 | $489,300 |
| Gunnison County | 0.28% | $1,683 | $597,200 |
| Pitkin County | 0.39% | $4,450 | $1,131,200 |
| Chaffee County | 0.28% | $1,664 | $598,500 |
| Alamosa County | 0.44% | $968 | $218,800 |
Otero County property tax: common questions
What is the property tax rate in Otero County, Colorado?
The effective rate is 0.32% of home value, from a median tax bill of $518 against a median home value of $160,700. That is 0.66 points below the national 0.98%.
How much is property tax on a $400,000 home in Otero County?
Roughly $1,280 a year at the county effective rate of 0.32%.
Is Otero County expensive compared with the rest of Colorado?
It ranks #41 of 52 Colorado counties by effective property tax rate, and #2759 of 2,826 nationally. That is 0.17 points below the Colorado average of 0.49%.
What does housing cost in Otero County?
The median home is worth $160,700 and median gross rent is $796 a month. Median household income is $54,897, which puts the home at 2.93 times annual income and rent at 17.4% of it.